ALABASTER, Ala. 鈥� The city of Alabaster has introduced a new in-house ambulance transport service aimed at reducing response times.
Alabaster Fire Department Chief Cliff Dyson said patients previously experienced delays of 45 minutes or more for ambulance services. These delays occurred because the department relied on third-party providers to transport patients to hospitals, reported.
鈥淲ith the changes that鈥檚 required to become a paramedic and stuff like that, the numbers are smaller,鈥� Dyson said. 鈥淔ewer and fewer paramedics are coming out, so it鈥檚 harder for third-party ambulance companies to hire paramedics when they鈥檙e not out there. That鈥檚 how that was impacting us is the third-party company had fewer medics.鈥�
Mandy Hill, a Clanton resident, noted that locals recently approved higher car tag fees to fund an ambulance for Chilton County. Drawing from personal experience, she emphasized the critical need for swift ambulance services, calling it a 鈥渕atter of life and death.鈥�
Dyson said the service will have two ambulances running at a time with two paramedics on each.
